I've been struggling to close all of these constant threads and then take on the menial task of writing one last post in each one telling every upset user to go to the Off-Topic forum where his comments will be more appreciated. Doing this has allowed me to keep busy while I think about this situation, which in turn has kept me fromdoing something stupid in the heat of fury. So I am calmed now and amthinking more clearly, and I think it's safe for me to post some thoughts on this situation with Jeff Gerstmann.

I'm not going to pretend I was a big fan of Jeff's. I really wasn't. I think he might have been one of my least favorite reviewers here. He's one of the smartest guys here and has a tremendous presence, and I find him to be extremely entertaining to watch and read, I just never really found myself completely able to rely on his opinions ultimately mirroring my own once I actually played any given game he reviewed. Some will probably realize that the Twilight Princess reviews have something to do with that opinion, but in reality they only added to a growing pile of disappointment with his reviews over time. For me, the first review that really began my saga of not being able to identify with Jeff's opinions was another Zelda game, namely "Majora's Mask". But it wasn't just Zelda. There was just something about his opinions that left me unable to rely on any recommendations to buy or to pass. Invariably, when Jeff was the reviewer, it was a flag to me that I would need to try the game myself regardless and see what I thought about it, instead of using his review in the way it was intended.

I am saying all of this at such a sensitive time because I feel like I have to get that out of the way before I go ahead and say what I am about to say. The bottom-line for me with Jeff Gerstmann is that whatever I felt about his reviews or his opinions, I always knew he was being honest. He never sold out -- not to me -- not to others -- he wrote it like he saw it, and that's that. In other words, he was CREDIBLE.

It's apparently confirmed that he's gone. I am just not sure why he's gone. I can say though, without reservation, that if what is being reported is really how this went down, then it just throws that hard earned credibility out the window. I can't say that kind of thing lightly. I firmly believe that this valuable asset is what kept people coming back and made the site what it is today, and Jeff was one of the largest contributors to that asset. In the reviewing game, credibility is both the all-powerful Queen you use to your offensive advantage and the King that you defend above all else. It is NEVER the pawn. Gamespot has been my favorite source for objective reviews for many years, and I'd hate to see them checkmated due to a questionable decision for short-term cash at the expense of long-term credibiility.

If any of this is true, then Gamespot and CNET can only really call their future editorials on the evaluation of games the title of "reviews" in name only. Reviews are by definition objective evaluations, not intended to be colored by other alliances, whether they be emotional or economic. And if they aren't really "reviews", then they won't be on my plate. Again predicating this on the validity of these rumors, I firmly believe that it was unfair to task Jeff with writing a review for K&L, and then expect him to write an Eidos company-line instead.

I guess what I am saying is that I am with you on this one Jeff. That probably sounds meaningless coming from someone who just said he didn't value you as a reviewer, but I think if this has taught me anything, it's that I should have valued you more than I did.